Measuring Tape Cheat Cards

Editor: Liz Johnson

Friday, 21 April 2017 1:00

Don’t laugh. This next printable in our Cheat Card series is based on one of our most popular articles. Really! If you’ve been sewing forever, and work with fractions every day, it may seem crazy to you that someone wouldn’t know how to read a measuring tape. But if you step back for a moment, and look at that tape measure (or ruler for that matter) with the eyes of a new sewer, all those little unidentified marks might seem a bit intimidating. As one of our original commenters said, “Thank you so much for sharing this. I am definitely the kind of person who was too scared to ask a dumb question! You’ve made my life so much easier!”

There are two measuring charts below: one shows an eighth inch breakdown and the other goes all the way down to sixteenths. Each chart is available in three different backgrounds.

Our Measuring Tape Cheat Card is the size of a standard business card: 2” wide x 3½” high. It’s small enough to tuck into your wallet or tack up on the bulletin board in your sewing room.

All six designs print out on one 8½” x 11” sheet of paper from which you can cut out the cards. You may want to print on a heavier card stock (80 to 100lb cover is a good option) or print on regular paper then glue that lighter weight sheet to a stiff backing material prior to cutting. There are crop marks on each card to help you get a perfect slice.

This is the second installment in our Cheat Card series. You may also want to print out the Yardage Conversion Cheat Cards. In both cases, the cards are set-up on the same variety of pretty backgrounds. Pick your favorite design and build a set, or cut them all out to share with your sewing friends.

Is there a cheat or hack you’d like to have as a handy card? Leave us a comment below and we’ll add it to our list.

The Measuring Tape Cheat Card is available here as a .PDF file. Click the image below to download. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a free program. We’ve minimized the file size, but still, please be patient with thedownloadprocess.

@Heather - As mentioned below, the file is delivering correcly on this end, and as one of our earlier Cheat Cards, it's been successfully downloaded hundreds of time. We’ve minimized the file size, but please be patient with the download process. In addition, make sure you have thelatest versionof Acrobat Reader, and the latest version of your printer driver. Adobe does always recommend a re-start of your computer with any update. You can also try the Print as Image option in your printer’s browser window. This option is often under the Advanced tab. You can also save the downloaded PDF to your computer and print from there.

@Kathy - Everything is delivering correcly on this end, and as one of our earlier Cheat Cards, it's been successfully downloaded hundreds of time. We’ve minimized the file size, but please be patient with the download process. In addition, make sure you have thelatest versionof Acrobat Reader, and the latest version of your printer driver. Adobe does always recommend a re-start of your computer with any update. You can also try the Print as Image option in your printer’s browser window. This option is often under the Advanced tab. You can also save the downloaded PDF to your computer and print from there.

@Michelle - Don't take it personally. Everything is delivering correctly from our end. The fact that you could print one, does mean that the server is responding to your requests. Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. On some systems, there is also an option in your print window (might be under either the general or advanced tab) that must be clicked: "print as image". You can also try saving the file first to your computer and then opening to print. It is a larger file - thanks to all those lovely colors - so the spooling to your printer might take a few minutes. On some systems, it might even take a couple minutes for the full print print preview to pop up. We have tested the printing many times on a variety of systems. Please try again when you can - it might just mean waiting a bit longer.

I want to copy an older batiste blouse with narrow pleats. How do I order your cheat sheet. Do books on French sewing have instructions for narrow pleats? I can't find any on your site. I'm new to your site.

@Virginia - Welcome to the site! Regarding the Cheat Card - you do not need to order it. It is set up as a free download to print yourself. All the instructions are given above for how to do this. In regards to the pleats, I've added links below to our Knife Pleats and Heirloom Sewing tutorials, which will provide you with some good information. We don't really have any specific information on French sewing books. That would probably be something you'd want to research online.

@Betty Anne - thanks! The goal of this Cheat Card is for identification, so we needed to make it larger than life in order to be sure the measurements could be clearly visualized. Your idea of something that could be used similarly to a seam guage is an interesting one. We'll put it on our You Asked 4 It list.

What a great idea , I could never understand the markings on a measuring tape , I always asked my son where is 7/8 of an inch etc on the tape , and I was still confused.Now I can see it for myself ,thank you

Already printed and firing up my laminator as I type. I use the conversion chart quite a bit, so I'm sure this will come in just as handy. Fits perfectly in my purse. Thanks again, Sew4Home, for another great tool!

@ Kay - make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. On some systems, there is also an option in your print window (might be under either the general or advanced tab) that must be clicked: "print as image". You can also try saving the file first to your computer and then opening to print. It is a larger file - thanks to all those lovely colors - so the spooling to your printer might take a few minutes. On some systems, it might even take a couple minutes for the full print print preview to pop up. We have tested the printing many times and it is delivering correctly from the server. Please try again when you can - it might just mean waiting a bit longer.

Thank you so much! My son is learning measurements in school and I was trying to show him what each of the lines represents but I could tell it wasn't making sense to him. I should have thought about something like this. Perfect!